Celebrating return of the sun

The harpoon throw is one of the festival's most popular events

By the BBC's Richard Lister in the Alaskan Arctic

All across the Arctic at the moment, people are celebrating the return of 24 hours of sunlight after a long winter of darkness.

Whales are a prominent part of spring festivals

The festivals in these remote communities are also a chance for the people to keep some ancient traditions alive.

Parades are a staple of celebrations in small-town America, but the parade in Barrow Alaska is unique.

There can't be many which would feature whale hunting quite so prominently. In the Alaskan Arctic, they do things a little differently.

Celebration of tradition

The long tradition of native whaling is featured heavily in the annual spring festival in Barrow.

The Inupiat use sealskin boats to hunt for whale

In one competition during the festival, the whalers load their sealskin boats on sledges and then they race to the open water.

Tent construction may not strike you as the most obvious test of speed and agility. But here, it can be a lifesaver.

When the wind is blowing at 50 degrees below freezing, being handy with a tent peg, is not a bad skill to have.

It helps to have a strong dog team too. The dogs test their strength by pulling sledges loaded with several times their weight in dog food. They'll take it home if he wins.

And on the sidelines, even here in the arctic, children make snowmen in the sunshine.

"We welcome back the sun," said one villager.

Another said, "After the winter, yeah, it's beautiful. I love this place."

Bowling with chickens

Back in the ice arena, they are limbering up for one of the most popular events of the festival.

The harpoon throw is a test of strength, skill and machismo. They have been hunting this way for thousands of years, and competitions like this are helping to keep their heritage alive.

Freddy Cadillac is teaching his son the tradition of igloo building

"With the onslaught of Westernisation, some of the traditional things are lost, but fortunately, we've had a real strong effort up here to preserve that culture," said Jim Vorderstrasse, the Mayor of Barrow.

For those who prefer hunting in supermarkets there's the not so ancient sport of frozen chicken bowling. Even though it's a new addition, it has a keen following.

Freddy Cadillac is working on something more traditional. He's teaching his son how to build an igloo.

Out on the sea ice, these used to be the only form of shelter. When you get inside they are warm and comfortable.

Freddy Cadillac finished his igloo just as the festival drew to close. No one lives in igloos anymore, but thanks to events like this one all over the Arctic, these ancient traditions are still being passed from one generation to the next.